Delightful video! Love how much personality comes through now than just a year ago. You're always a pleasure to watch and you're penmanship is perfect for showing off these pens. Marvelous and I couldn't be happier for you!
While i prefer Hong Dian as a favourite Chinese brand, i do have a lot of Jinhaos i am very happy with - including my son's Shark, my remarkably good 992, reliable X750, stylish 80, and a 159 and an X159 which are mainly for funsies. I have to say i haven't had a Jinhao that disappointed me.
I have had some disappointment with Jinhao (dragons) in years gone by, but can't rave enough about these gorgeous little pens! I first saw the J82 on this review and immediately ordered a set of 3 for under $20 on Amazon. All three of those, in the pastel/translucent colors, are truly "eye candy". (I sent Doodlebud a photo.) They look like the small pastel Sailor pens and my white/blue looks just like the new Pelikan M200 "pastel blue." Those are medium nibs and all write like a dream. They are well made, too (as DB says, even O ring!) So, I ordered a fine point in a single translucent blue/gray, equally delightful in appearance but that nib is scratchy and probably needs adjusting. But, who can complain at this price! I think these are an amazing value and a perfect way to experience using a fountain pen / converter / bottled ink for a beginner. IMPORTANT note: a standard cartridge leaked in this last pen, so I'm sticking with converters which work well. OH, on the Shark, what a surprising performance for a "cheap" plastic pen! I still use mine.
@TanvirMahmudHansadhani I'm not a fan of Fine nibs, so I'm not the person to comment, but the Medium nib is beautifully smooth. Fines are available, definitely, but I don't recall ever seeing an EF.
The jinhao century pens (yes, multiple because gifting) I've bought have been amazingly good. My x750 isn't bad but also isn't great. The x450s I bought from different sellers are not good at all; they have rattly threads and are scratchy while writing. I bought the second because reviews said that they were good with possible poor QC, and my second was as bad as the first.
The JinHao 82 is arguably the right choice to answer this question. I put it a solid #2 behind a Wing Sung 698. The 698 breaks the $10 barrier by $3-5 but adds the convenience and luxury of being a piston filler. The nibs are just a bit better than the JinHao, having been stamped on retired Pilot machinery (Allegedly).
My "go to" starter pen is the Platinum Preppy. I always keep a few around to give away (to try to get others hooked on fountain pens). Depending on the person, I may do an eyedropper conversion before I give them the pen. In addition to being incredibly inexpensive, they seal really well and can be left for months, and will still write (important for fountain pen newbies coming from the "Bic Stick" world). I agree regarding the Jinhao X159 - mine was not a reliable writer until I did some minor "surgery" on the channels in the feed...
Their QC is really bad, in fact they don't have any QC at all, since it's so cheap they don't bothered to do any test write, though it usually isn't that bad but occasionally you will come across some really bad Jinhao nibs.
Great review, as always. I absolutely worship these pens. I’ve had gold nibbled, outlandishly expensive pens which couldn’t hold a candle to the beautifully tuned writing prowess of these babies. As you say, also the proper attention to all the details, tolerances and machining, plus they are the most user-customisable, franken-pen worthy pens I’ve ever pwned.
Three years in and all my Jinao’s continue to write well with no mechanical problems. I have X450’s, X750’s, 85, and X159 all are great. I have interchanged with Goulet and Anderson Pens #6 Jowo nibs as well as using the Jinhao nibs. Good video, Thanks.
Here, I go, more pens than I really don't need, but I just ordered. Apart from the fact that this model is a lot of vaule in itself, the most shocking thing is: a Lamy converter is MORE expensive than the whole pen that comes WITH a converter, that, I am sure is not a copy, but somehow fits whatever pen fits an international cartridge... Buy one or two, damn, buy FIVE gift them to your friends and their kids. As always, keep up the good work, sir!
I'm glad to see that the QC seems to be improving for the 82. I purchased 6 of these at the beginning of the year, before Jinhao came out with the translucent and sparkly colours, 2 of each nib size. The nibs are all over the place, and none come close to writing as well as my other sub-$10 pen: the Pilot Petit1. To be fair, none of them are absolutely terrible and since they ended up being a bit over 5CAD per pen (including shipping), I'm not too mad. I ended up needing to tune one of the fines due to scratchiness (one F is closer to a Japanese F, while the one that needed fixing writes more like a European F). My first time doing anything like that, but I watched your nib tuning video and it was really helpful!
I have a couple of them in medium and fine nibs. They're very similar to my Sailor Pro Gear Slim and are pretty good steel nib pens that are perfect for using day to day where you don't want to take a pricey pen. And when you consider the price, there's really no downside. I actually liked my ones so much I got one for my nephew as his first fountain pen as it's small enough for his hands and cheap enough that if he breaks or loses it it's easily replaced.
Just ordered one of these, an x159 and two of the old-fashioned wrap around nibs (for old Wing Sungs) for $16 CDN, free shipping. I love Jinhaos. Their nibs are pretty good and there are lots of options to swap. $16 for all that. I'm pretty happy.
For me, Pilot Metropolitan or the TWSBI Eco are the best, affordable starter pens. When I first started with Fountain Pens, I purchased a bunch of Jinhao pens. They have all been cleaned, disassembled and stored away. Not even sure where they are. I used them to replace the nibs with super flexible dip pen nibs. Didn't work. They have been out of rotation for years.
It's a good pen but I'll be using my other pens MUCH more than this one 😁. It can't exactly compete with my. Homosapiens, MB 149, or my newly acquire Omas...... 🤫
@@Doodlebud Being a starving artist, I cannot touch those kinds of pens. My highest price pen is a Lamy 2000. I use a computer all day for work and do not write much. So, I have to really be selective. I believe I may buy a Veritas pen or a the Good Blue (if they ever clarify their nib selections)(their website is very confusing and different from your silent review earlier)
@@webbdelasteve Interesting ... do you have the stock nibs on them (IMO, the Jinhao No. 6 are pretty crap.)? I've found the x750 to be truly fantastic (I hate to 'flex', but I have quite a few higher-end, gold- and paladium-nibbed pens as well as cheap-o and mid-range pens ... which I think is relevant in conveying that I have some idea what the full range of possible writing experiences is like.) ... although I've swapped out all the nibs for either (mostly Goulet-branded) Jowo nibs ... or Nemosine nibs (RIP Nemosine ... for being relatively inexpensive, their nibs were so, so nice.).
Jinhao 80 is my current favourite pen from Jinhao...I did not try the 82 yet. I changed the nib to a Lamy Z50 Medium and my experience has been great after that, in fact i am using it more than my L2K😮
I have had no issues with any of my Jinhaos, except the anomaly of my Fine nib 9019 is smooth and lovely while my medium nib 9019 is taking some time to break in. My 82s are perfection. And I don’t care to be fooling anyone that I have bougie pens, because they know I don’t have that kind of money! lol And none of my friends use fountain pens.
I have 6 Jinhao's at the moment... 4 - x750s that came with nibs and bought a pack of 5 FUDE Jinhao nibs, 'cause I use them mainly for drawing, and I also have 2 Jinhao's 80 with nibs (which I use mainly for drawing but also for writing sometimes) and... they work great for my type of use (great bang for your buck!). For writing I use other fountain pens on a regular basis (including calligraphy nibs)... I also bought one of my daughters a Majohn A1 (similar to the Pilot Vanishing point reviewed in this Channel - Orange and metallic colour), to get her used to using FPs and she LOVES it!!! She us very environmental conscious and I explained to her how much (significantly) of a Good ecological impact Fountain Pens do, specially when using converters because of how long everything lasts in comparison to Every Day Throw Away plastic, non-refillable and reusable writing tools... Cheers to y'all!!! 😁👍
Non reusable tools I ment to say... sorry for any grammar mistakes but my sausage fingers on such a tiny keyboard on my little (not so) smartphone is always a challenge... Cheers!
One more thing I forgot to mention... if Jinhao would make Piston filler FPs (that worked as well as their converter ones) at a way cheaper price than their competitors it would be another market changer... (VAC fillers would also be awesome though I understand production costs - for both mechanisms). Cheers!
I got a Jin Hao 82 after seeing this, and I'm very pleased with it! I use it inked with Baystate Blue that has been diluted 25%. It keeps working without getting clogged, most amazing compared with a couple of Wing Sung 3000 pens, which need to be cleaned after each time they are emptied!
It’s a small pen but I’m a big fan of the Pilot Plumix as a starter pen. It has a gorgeous stub nib that gives your writing an immediate flair. Oddly, the Pluminix is even smaller!
Preppy is a pen i came back after 2 years into the hobby, after gifting my one to a dear friend and it is really an amazing writer, but the jinhao 82 has an incredible build quality and my ones are hosting a pelikan m120 vintage nib and a fude nib it came with. They're truly amazing writers and the opportunity to have a nice durable and cheap pen with a vintage nib is a super feature
Thanks, DB! Agreed, the Jinhao 82 is a very nice pen. As for the x159, I had no interest in its resemblance to a mb149; I wanted to see what the nib was like. I bought one of the early releases, the black one, and it was ok. Apparently, they tweaked it a bit and released again in various colors--I got two and have been enjoying them a lot.
I totally agree with you, I had a bit of trouble at first with the 82 before falling in love with this one. It's the best pocket pen, firstly because it's cheap (3.5 - 4€ postage included) and therefore I have no fear of losing it (much more so with a Pilot E95s), it's light, solid and NEVER dries out. The finish is exemplary, especially for the price. Finally, the grip is excellent, very balanced, with a soft, smooth and juicy nib. If you add to that the fact that it comes in an astronomical number of colours that can be reassembled to create a totally custom pen, that makes it the best Jinhao pen just after the 85, just above the 80, X350, X850 and 9056.
@@MitchellJBridges It's not my opinion, the 9056 can have a tendency to leak (at nib level), its coating (in the case of ebony) is of rather average quality, and you can add to that the fact that it's a very large pen that won't fit all hands (whereas the 82 is much more versatile).
I've shared a few of these with work colleagues, because I think they're great, so a few have passed through my hands. There are two little flaws I've seen - The first is that the nibs are not consistent enough to recommend to someone who doesn't know how to align and adjust the tightness of the tines. Probably 2/3 of them have required that. The other one is minor, which is that the threads on the top of the cap have been off-centre on a couple. I think it's something that could be corrected if I had a tool to unscrew the inner nut and retighten it. I just got one of their medium nibs and it is phenomenally good, and my daily writer is currently one with an F nib that I stubbed.
I have the exact same jinhao and another in translucent purple so i have both choices of their f and m nib. The plastic feels surprisingly sturdy for pens below rm15 and they write smooth out of the box Edit: you forgot to mention that you could swap the finials if you have multiple colours. Just a little extra tidbit
After seeing this video I immediately ordered one from Amazon. Unfortunately, I did not see THIS one..and blue is my favorite with translucency too😢but somewhere I will find it and keep it close.thank you for the video👍🏼
The Pilot Varsity was my first fountain pen over 30 years ago, and there is always one nearby today. It’s ugly, cheap plastic, but when posted the length is comfortable, it’s refillable and they always write extremely well, smooth and wet. Give one a try.
One of my first pens post the Preppy was the Jinhao 51a. Which I still love to use. But I'm super pleased with the 82's I got recently. They are comfy in my hand, smooth writing and I love the color choices. They've also been less prone to quickly drying out which has been a problem before.
The Pilot Varsity is a great first starter pen. I’ve had over 20 since 1990. They are ugly but they have a smooth nib and great ink flow. Very durable for the bag or backpack. They can refilled with a little effort. Great for gifting too.
Great video. I have a Jinhao 8802 yet to be inked but it is also supposed to be a great writer. A bit more expensive. The Jinhao you’ve reviewed seems pretty much flawless and puts many expensive pens to shame. I was recommended to try the Dollar 717 fountain pen. It doesn’t have the same level of build quality however writing with it is sheer joy. Mine came with a medium nib it is great fun £3 including postage. These are the sort of pens that we need to have to encourage people to become involved in the fountain pen hobby. To “penable’ them. Great video. Thank you Doodlebud.
i never picked up any of these sailor models because i just dont like the design but i think ill have to grab one of these 82's because this quality under $10 is pretty astounding.
I'd like to see you review a Platinum #3776 with a C nib or a Scribo Feel with a 3B nib, because it's always fun to watch extra fine lovers get confronted with an ink blunderbuss! I don't think you've reviewed either of those pens before either. If you're already having nightmares reading that, maybe the complete opposite: a Platinum #3776 with a UEF nib. Platinum's "house style' of feedback on their finer gold nibs is a real love-it-or-hate-it deal for most people.
Ink blunderbusses are GREAT for the larger lettering/penmanship needs... whether you "Scribe" for diplomas, parchments, scrolls of various decorative and trophy-like feat's... OR you just like your "memo's" to be READ CLEARLY by your blind-ass coworkers whenever you tape them to the wall or door... Remember to draw (even) letters from your shoulder... BUT a solid 2x7 proportion with a little flare to the curves can take FULLEST advantage of moving a LOT of ink to the page and maximize the brilliance of even bothering to get "clever ink mixes" and customizing colors, shimmers, or sheens... Don't get me wrong, when I'm delicately sketching the finest details, I still Love a nib that can easily stab fingers or slide right through the substrate-stock... laser accuracy comes with laser destructive potential and REQUIRES a very delicate touch... BUT it's always up to the artist to master it. AND managing to render several portrait quality sketches without a half bottle of ink vanishing saves both the time AND the effort of re-inking every couple hours... BUT yeah... there's something truly VISCERAL about an ink BAZOOKA forcing your hand to flow quickly across the page before everything dissolves into a colorful hot mush... ;o)
@@gnarthdarkanen7464 If the co-workers in question still don't respond to a triple broad, try putting Noodler's Rachmaninoff in it. It stinks, it stains and it's brighter than a hydrogen bomb going off in the next town over. I always tape notes to co-workers' desks witten with that ink, and they've never failed to notice one as they walked into their office. It's as if the Eye of Sauron is sitting on their desk, staring into their souls until they can get rid of it.
Love all my Jinhaos -- I think around a dozen? Just gifted a young friend with a Kakuno. Have them in all sizes and enjoy them, too. Platinum Preppy is also great. Thanks for this vid. Ooooh, looking forward to seeing what you got from Appelboom. When someone offers to send you something, it is difficult to figure out how luxurious you want to go.
I finished posting the videos on those pens, 6 in total! ua-cam.com/video/ZbIjcoaAr7c/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/JGuQdYPshuw/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/481JvE2Io5I/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/Irfm68FzAEs/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/vxC0EuQPfto/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/VMtBxE6r-kg/v-deo.html
As a follow up to your request to suggest an Italian pen from Appelboom, I'd like to propose the Gioia Partenope. It's a beautiful pen with a great nib, and it comes in many types of materials. I own the Avorio, and I couldn't be happier. The price is not outrageous, at just under USD 200. Great review of the Jinhao 82, by the way. I'll have to order one!
I have one in a pinkish/salmon colour and was really impressed with the construction of the pen. It feels sturdy, the cap seals well, overall that was great but I had issues getting it to write. I have the fine nib but unlike your experience I had a lot of problems putting down ink and when it did it work it skipped. I would recommend a Platinum Preppy or Pilot Kakuno for a beginner pen. They're a little bit more money but still incredibly affordable and I think beginners would benefit from their consistency. I've had several Kakunos and they've all worked exceptionally.
I'm new to your channel, but enjoying it greatly. Your use of sarcasm and humor is spot on. You've probably already done a video for an Applebloom, but I'd love to see you test the Montblanc Meisterstück 149 (from whichever retailer if Applebloom is already done). Famously, this pen is a favorite of Johnny Depp's (my lifelong celebrity crush 🥰 LoL). I know I'll never be able to spend that much on a pen, at least, not without a severe beating from my family. 😂 I'd like to at least be able to see how well it's made, how it writes, and to see someone else enjoy it. Thanks bunches! ☺️
I will have to grab one (or more) of these. When I was looking for a pen to leave at work, I grabbed a Jinhao 9019. It has no business being as good as it is for $10. Huge converter, #8 nib, has not hard started in 8 months, smooth writer. I have the F nib and it is not scratchy at all. I would say it is between my Lamy Dialog CC F nib and my Sailor 1911 F nib in terms of line width.
Looks like a Sailor Progear Slim . I bought four of these with the imitation gold coloured clip and bands and gave one to my Bridge partner who uses a Progear slim and was impressed
I just posted a comment asking if it takes #5 nibs. Glad I scrolled a bit more before leaving. I’ve got a few spare JOWO #5 nibs that may see a new home soon.
My favorite starter pen in the Pilot Metropolitan, but I really enjoy my Jinhao x750 which works excellently with shimmering inks, and I also have Jinhao's shark pen -- so adorable -- and Jinhao's 51-A with a wooden body with a fine nib. My only, only caveat is that the metal cap doesn't click or screw into place; it just slips on, so it dries out after two days of disuse. But the smoothness of the writing is sooooo amazing!! :D
I love the Jinhao82. For less than $5 (Canadian) I get an excellent pen for my shiny inks. I got all M nibs and they are all linked with Inkvent calendar shiny inks 😃😃
I’ve recommended the Jinhao 51 as a starter pen before, but the hooded nib version can give fountain pen newbies alignment problems. For me, the 82 is a whole different league. Good choice of nibs, reliable converter, great performance and quality for a budget pen, plus it comes in so many different colours it’s fun to buy a bunch and make your own colour combinations. I’d have no qualms about dishing them out as gifts to the pen-curious.
I now have close to 20 Chinese pens with a Majohn 80s full size on the way. I particularly like the Jinhao 80 (all black version) especially after replacing the nibs with a Lamy nib. After seeing this video, I just may have to add an 82 to the collection!!
For olders, something CC to get them used to re-inking. Kaküno, Preppy, Shark, etc. And then something like a more traditional pen such as the Jinhao 82... standard open (not hooded) nib. Gets them prepared for the next step...😊
oh man im so happy my first fountain is this 82! just got it a week ago without seeing any info on them. what dit it? the amazing color selection they have !!!! and for that price, no brainer!
My gateway pen was the Parker Jotter fountain pen, no outstanding features, but the hand grip & feel will be familiar for those Parker Jotter ballpoint pen aficionados. Build quality great for Canadian winters.
Thank you for your amazing and funny reviews. I love Jinhao and have an arsenal of the 159s (I have a MB 146 with a nib like a spade which I HATE but have yet to sell it!). I bought the Asvine 20 and p50 from your reviews and i just LOVE them espcially the p20 with the Greek pattern on the cap band. Thank you again!
Great review. I also have an x159 which feels considerably cheaper than a Kokuno (my current fav cheaper pen especially with that great XF nib). However, I don't love the slim and triangular grip. Can you please find an larger "beginner" pen in that is really well made for us folks that love girthier grip sections and larger overall pens? Bonus points if it has a great XF nib! I would be forever grateful. The 82 does look great if you ask me - just wish it was bigger!
1. Any particular reason you own no Sailors? I wonder because I recently decided not to buy anything but Pro Gears. 2. I'd love to see your opinion on the King of Pen, especially if you happen to be leary of the brand. It's my unaffordable grail. 3. The
I've just never been a huge fan of the sailor nib feel. The KOP looks great but all that metal inisde all to hold that little converter just makes me shake my head LOL. I am fond of the 1911 models from the 80s. So far my only Sailor experience is the Cross Peerless which has a Sailor nib. Mine was smoothed before I bought it
I picked up a couple of Jinhao 82s recently an have been impressed with them. I'm also quite taken with the Jinhao 80 (the one styled like a Lamy 2000), which is in the same price range and like the 82 writes great and posts really well. (I do remain a fan of the 992, but the 82 is prettier and far less fragile.)
I'm back now that I have a couple of these pens. I consider this a perfect pen at a bargain price. It fulfills my need for XF, F, M, and Fude nibs. The only way it could be better is if it came in Pro Gear full size and, in my dreams, in KoP size. Oh, and in larger nib sizes. The 82 is doing well in the marketplace, so I am clinging to the hope that they go larger some day soon. With bright colors!
Good to hear you're enjoying your 82s. I have this one away to a friend but ordered another almost immediately. Would be great if they did a larger model sometime soon!
My mom Bought a Cheap Fountain pen that ONLY came with the Black Plastic Feed bar and we tried for a month to get it to write... as i did the Internet Sleuth I realized (initially i had thought a Nib went over, But i tried to use my nibs which are strictly Dip N Draw and it didnt work) That i need to get the proper Size nib for the pen. #6 and this video helped tremendously in that regard even though it wasnt touched on at all. Gonna buy some nibs next week from Jinhao.
If one were to only buy sub-$20 pens, they could have a lot of fun with Jinhaos. Even the bad ones would be okay if you had nothing to compare them to. But man, once you rip the blindfold off and get into high-quality writing instruments, it's hard to use the Jinhaos, Hongdians, etc. on a regular basis, although I have had a Hongdian Black Forest inked up for a while now. It's terrific. The Jinhao 86 hooded Parker ripoffs are absolutely great, too, and they run about $2 a pop. I generally buy the cheapos to see how they go and then pass them on to students. This one looks like a Pro Gear Slim knock-off. I've been wondering about the size of the PGS and might get a Jinhao 82 once I check the spec comparisons to see how she feels in the hand. For someone who prefers a Homo Sapiens size pen, it might just be too small.
agree -- the 86 is a steal .. sometimes the 85 is talked about more, but man the 86 is a no brainner, same thing the 911 (currently less than 2€ shipping included because of the AE summer promo)
@@Doodlebud Can't wait to do the same with mine. She's too young atm. I tried and gave her one of those twisted-barrel Pelikan monstrosities not long ago, but she had the nib bent in a couple minutes. 🤦
My suggestions for Appelboom review pen…. Magna Carta Denima Blue ST (very clean looking pen and an interesting material… micarta / denim), Maiora Ogiva Golden Age Fire RT (I know this one is up there in price, but I have considered it and would love to see a review).
I own quite a few PG and PGS pens. Ordered an 82 after watching this vid, mostly because curiosity. It's almost identical in dimensions to the PGS (although, it's missing the thin band on the cap and has a blank finial). Writing with the 82 is okay, but not even close to as nice as the PGS's -- but, it's totally unfair to compare a steel-nibbed pen to a gold-nibbed one that costs an order of magnitude more. As you mentioned, the tolerances on the 82 are shockingly good -- how, HOW! did they manage to make something this cheap this good!? Resin (let's be honest, it's plastic) on the PGS is higher quality, too. But, I must agree that the 82 is a fantastic starter pen, and I'm glad to have one in my increasingly-enormous collection ... even though it'll get less inked-time than the PGS pens.
I'd agree, they're a fantastic starter pen, so cheap and write so well. I'm just waiting on them adding a medium nib to the range ( to add to the few I've bought already *ahem*)
My three Jinhao 82’s arrived today, I haven’t inked them yet, but the quality of materials - the feel and weight - compared to a Sailor Pro Gear, there’s no comparison the Sailor feels great and this 82 feels relatively like cheap plastic. I have plenty of other Jinhaos, I like the X450 which think it is a better pen than the 82, and I agree with your other video about the excellent Jinhao 9019 - which unlike the 82 actually feels great in the hand and does not feel like cheap plastic. Also the 82 is about 5mm shorter than the already short Pro Gear, and the Gin Martini lookalike does not have the color depth of the Sailor. You can actually see thru the 82 flat end caps. I realize my comments are pretty superficial given that I have not tested with ink, but experience of build quality is still quite important to me.
@@Doodlebud Wow. Mine is solid. The cesile finish is just sexy. (No issues with cap dryout on this one either with a great 'click' snap cap.) Chalk it up to QA I guess.
I followed your link in the description for the “same color” pen and ordered one for $1.40 USD, shipped. Crazy. Seems too good to be true but I used a virtual cc number and can spend a dollar to find out.
@@Doodlebud wow, I just got it today. I can’t believe it even showed up for the price. And it’s amazing. A really fantastic writer and better build quality than I expected (just the clip and finial are a bit off axis). Thanks for the recommendation! I already have my eye on another color with a different nib. It actually scratches that ProGear Slim itch without having to justify the limited edition pricing.
When I saw this video in my feed, I immediately said, "That looks like a Sailor knock-off!" The Sailor pen that I think it resembles the most is the Pro Gear Slim Shikiori Japanese Fairy Tale Series' Vega model
Jinhao is learning; they're becoming more and more attractive. Funny side: when you showed the pens lined up and mentioned the GoodBlue 135, I said, "Wait; I have one of those." Damn I need more pen holders instead of tomato cans filled with pens. 😂
Btw did you know you. Can not only swap caps if you have say 4 of these,you can also screw off the cap filial nd pull off the barrel end cap. I have 8 now and they are all mixed up.. fun! Yes great pens..
Starter pen winner has to go to the Platinum Preppy, and I suggest the converter, despite cartridges being more economical at first. Ink bottle refills will pay it back in spades over time.
When someone asks me for a good starter pen I always base it on how they write, their budget, and what they plan to do with the pen. Completely unsure if they're gonna like it and don't want to waste money? Varsity or Preppy. Willing to spend a bit more? Kakuno (for tripod grip) or Metropolitan (for nonstandard grips) -- because the consistency and interchangeability of the lower-end Pilot nibs is fantastic for folks who're still figuring out their preferences. They wanna try a ton of ink colors? Jinhao Shark because it comes with a converter and takes standard international cartridges so there's ton of easy options. Need a durable EDC? My recommendation used to be the Safari (the first fountain pen I ever got!) but thanks in part to your videos I've changed that recommendation to the Faber-Castell Hexo. Great pen, and works with more peoples' writing grips. I really like my X159, and now I think I'm gonna bump the 82 up in my list of pens to try out.
Always enjoy your detailed reviews. Ordered this pen based on your review, wish it was a snap cap rather than the 2 turns required to uncap. My Prera is perfect for quick notes. Mine was pre-inked for some reason, when I flushed it out, blue ink came out. They also send the wrong color, but overall I agree, it's a great pen for the price. Many places charge more for a single converter than this pen with converter.
Thought about buying one of these for work, but I Just bought a Pelikan M200 Brown Marble for 100 bucks for work. I also Use my Moonman A-1 for work and I just bought a Diplomat Excellence A2 in Guilloche Chrome finish. I also have a Diplomat Aero in Stripes finish. Those are my designated work pens so I don't have a need for anymore really I guess haha Good Video Doodlebud! Also some ideas for pens from Appelboom would be a Tibaldi No.60, Tibaldi Bononia, any Gioia ones, Leonardo Furore or Furore Grande, Leonardo Mosaico, Visconti Mythos, Maiora Ogiva (if they have the steel nib version), Maiora Futura. Magna Carta I've been curious about for ages now, and even more because I heard they have no.8 nibs and they are bringing out a new flex nib pen soon as well.
@@Doodlebud I must of missed it!! Or forgot Sorry Doodlebud!! I'll check it out. I really want a Maiora Ogiva eventually. But the steel nib one. The gold nib version is a piston filler and the steel nib version is a cartridge converter. I have 2 Maiora pens already and like them a lot.
I've just got this exact pen (EF) from Aliexpress after watching this video. Indeed writes great and looks great. The only gripe is that the clip is way too tight, and also the tolerances on the top finial aren't great so the finial and the clip-ring end up a tad askew. For me, the tight clip is sort of a showstoper for taking this out of the house, because it's extremely difficult to slide into any pen-pocket like this. Thanks for a great video!
I know you've done Pelikan 140 and m800 reviews, I'm curious on your take on the m600. That or an Aurora that doesn't break the bank like the alpha or talentum since everyone knows about the 88
The 159 is indeed the best pen ever made for the price. And it has nothing to do with whether it looks like the 149 or not which I have as well as the Le Grand 146. They’re extremely expensive cheap plastic. I bought both of them in 2001. I have other very expensive German, Italian and French pens but find the 159 soooooooo good. Another good one is the Asvine P20. Beautiful pen with a buttery nib. I have 3 of them with M nibs.
Jinhaos were some of the first fountain pens I owned, and I've rarely had a bad writing experience with them. The thing is, most of them were 991s and 992s, and they don't exist any more, for reasons that'll be obvious to anyone who knows these pens. 😆 (In fact, I looked at two 992s just today and the finials have broken right off, _in storage.)_ I bought an 82 when I saw it came in olive green, a colour I have trouble resisting. It's been bombing around in the thigh pocket of a pair of work trousers for two or three months, stored upright, and I have almost nothing bad to say about it. Tiny bit of a hard start in the mornings, but a slight press on the nib for a fraction of a second fixes that. I've heard the finial on this can be fragile too, so I'm keeping an eye on it. Otherwise, two thumbs up. Other good starter pens? Platinum Preppy, obviously. (I've tried Plaisirs too, but the giant cap band and kind of boring experience put me off) Parker Jotter FPs are reliable and comfortable in my experience. (Don't know why Parker doesn't push them more. For ages I thought uncomfortable Vectors were Parker's only intro FPs) I like Kaweco Sports too, so maybe the Perkeo? I have to get one just to try it.
For youngers.. Pilot Varsity (M) and Pilot V-pen (F). Writes everytime, gets them used to both nib widths, pretty much indestructible, don't have to worry about re-inking accidents, and if it gets lost... oh, well.
Since you like this one and don't Have one, it seems logical to suggest getting a Sailor Pro Gear Slim, perhaps even do a little comparison? I'd like your opinion on the 3776 too, especially the soft nibs
can't beat the value of a Jinhao!
Delightful video! Love how much personality comes through now than just a year ago. You're always a pleasure to watch and you're penmanship is perfect for showing off these pens. Marvelous and I couldn't be happier for you!
While i prefer Hong Dian as a favourite Chinese brand, i do have a lot of Jinhaos i am very happy with - including my son's Shark, my remarkably good 992, reliable X750, stylish 80, and a 159 and an X159 which are mainly for funsies. I have to say i haven't had a Jinhao that disappointed me.
I have had some disappointment with Jinhao (dragons) in years gone by, but can't rave enough about these gorgeous little pens! I first saw the J82 on this review and immediately ordered a set of 3 for under $20 on Amazon. All three of those, in the pastel/translucent colors, are truly "eye candy". (I sent Doodlebud a photo.) They look like the small pastel Sailor pens and my white/blue looks just like the new Pelikan M200 "pastel blue." Those are medium nibs and all write like a dream. They are well made, too (as DB says, even O ring!) So, I ordered a fine point in a single translucent blue/gray, equally delightful in appearance but that nib is scratchy and probably needs adjusting. But, who can complain at this price!
I think these are an amazing value and a perfect way to experience using a fountain pen / converter / bottled ink for a beginner. IMPORTANT note: a standard cartridge leaked in this last pen, so I'm sticking with converters which work well. OH, on the Shark, what a surprising performance for a "cheap" plastic pen! I still use mine.
Which nib do you use with your Jinhao X750? I use M nib. Do you know if they have F nib for X750, and how it writes?
@TanvirMahmudHansadhani I'm not a fan of Fine nibs, so I'm not the person to comment, but the Medium nib is beautifully smooth. Fines are available, definitely, but I don't recall ever seeing an EF.
The jinhao century pens (yes, multiple because gifting) I've bought have been amazingly good.
My x750 isn't bad but also isn't great.
The x450s I bought from different sellers are not good at all; they have rattly threads and are scratchy while writing. I bought the second because reviews said that they were good with possible poor QC, and my second was as bad as the first.
Just got one of these yesterday. Am quite happy with it. It's my new carry pen. Don't have to worry about losing it!
The JinHao 82 is arguably the right choice to answer this question. I put it a solid #2 behind a Wing Sung 698. The 698 breaks the $10 barrier by $3-5 but adds the convenience and luxury of being a piston filler. The nibs are just a bit better than the JinHao, having been stamped on retired Pilot machinery (Allegedly).
is the Wing Sung still sold? I can't seen to find it on Amazon or AliExpress. Did they rebrand?
My "go to" starter pen is the Platinum Preppy. I always keep a few around to give away (to try to get others hooked on fountain pens). Depending on the person, I may do an eyedropper conversion before I give them the pen. In addition to being incredibly inexpensive, they seal really well and can be left for months, and will still write (important for fountain pen newbies coming from the "Bic Stick" world).
I agree regarding the Jinhao X159 - mine was not a reliable writer until I did some minor "surgery" on the channels in the feed...
Their QC is really bad, in fact they don't have any QC at all, since it's so cheap they don't bothered to do any test write, though it usually isn't that bad but occasionally you will come across some really bad Jinhao nibs.
Great review, as always. I absolutely worship these pens. I’ve had gold nibbled, outlandishly expensive pens which couldn’t hold a candle to the beautifully tuned writing prowess of these babies.
As you say, also the proper attention to all the details, tolerances and machining, plus they are the most user-customisable, franken-pen worthy pens I’ve ever pwned.
Three years in and all my Jinao’s continue to write well with no mechanical problems. I have X450’s, X750’s, 85, and X159 all are great. I have interchanged with Goulet and Anderson Pens #6 Jowo nibs as well as using the Jinhao nibs. Good video, Thanks.
Here, I go, more pens than I really don't need, but I just ordered. Apart from the fact that this model is a lot of vaule in itself, the most shocking thing is: a Lamy converter is MORE expensive than the whole pen that comes WITH a converter, that, I am sure is not a copy, but somehow fits whatever pen fits an international cartridge... Buy one or two, damn, buy FIVE gift them to your friends and their kids. As always, keep up the good work, sir!
Great giveaway pen or one to take when travelling. Works well and if you lose it, no biggy
I'm glad to see that the QC seems to be improving for the 82. I purchased 6 of these at the beginning of the year, before Jinhao came out with the translucent and sparkly colours, 2 of each nib size. The nibs are all over the place, and none come close to writing as well as my other sub-$10 pen: the Pilot Petit1. To be fair, none of them are absolutely terrible and since they ended up being a bit over 5CAD per pen (including shipping), I'm not too mad. I ended up needing to tune one of the fines due to scratchiness (one F is closer to a Japanese F, while the one that needed fixing writes more like a European F). My first time doing anything like that, but I watched your nib tuning video and it was really helpful!
That is the problem with items made in China, their quality control is not the greatest. There is a reason a Japanese pen is twice as much.
Great to hear praise for Jinhao! There's way too many amazing color choices for this pen
Best starter pen, imo, the Platinum Preppy. Thanks for your reviews!
I have the exact same Jinhao 82, blue with sparkles. My favourite small fountain pen.
A Jinhao 9019 in blue/green is my go to BIG fountain pen
Love the 80s I own. Need to try this next.
I have a couple of them in medium and fine nibs. They're very similar to my Sailor Pro Gear Slim and are pretty good steel nib pens that are perfect for using day to day where you don't want to take a pricey pen. And when you consider the price, there's really no downside. I actually liked my ones so much I got one for my nephew as his first fountain pen as it's small enough for his hands and cheap enough that if he breaks or loses it it's easily replaced.
I have a couple of these I use at work now as a waitress. Fairly sturdy, and inexpensive to replace.
Just ordered one of these, an x159 and two of the old-fashioned wrap around nibs (for old Wing Sungs) for $16 CDN, free shipping. I love Jinhaos. Their nibs are pretty good and there are lots of options to swap. $16 for all that. I'm pretty happy.
For me, Pilot Metropolitan or the TWSBI Eco are the best, affordable starter pens. When I first started with Fountain Pens, I purchased a bunch of Jinhao pens. They have all been cleaned, disassembled and stored away. Not even sure where they are. I used them to replace the nibs with super flexible dip pen nibs. Didn't work. They have been out of rotation for years.
Same here. Started this hobby with a bunch of 750s. They are...somewhere now.
It's a good pen but I'll be using my other pens MUCH more than this one 😁. It can't exactly compete with my. Homosapiens, MB 149, or my newly acquire Omas...... 🤫
@@Doodlebud Being a starving artist, I cannot touch those kinds of pens. My highest price pen is a Lamy 2000. I use a computer all day for work and do not write much. So, I have to really be selective. I believe I may buy a Veritas pen or a the Good Blue (if they ever clarify their nib selections)(their website is very confusing and different from your silent review earlier)
@@webbdelasteve Interesting ... do you have the stock nibs on them (IMO, the Jinhao No. 6 are pretty crap.)? I've found the x750 to be truly fantastic (I hate to 'flex', but I have quite a few higher-end, gold- and paladium-nibbed pens as well as cheap-o and mid-range pens ... which I think is relevant in conveying that I have some idea what the full range of possible writing experiences is like.) ... although I've swapped out all the nibs for either (mostly Goulet-branded) Jowo nibs ... or Nemosine nibs (RIP Nemosine ... for being relatively inexpensive, their nibs were so, so nice.).
Jinhao 80 is my current favourite pen from Jinhao...I did not try the 82 yet. I changed the nib to a Lamy Z50 Medium and my experience has been great after that, in fact i am using it more than my L2K😮
I like all my Jinhao's. Perform well, feel good, write well.
I have had no issues with any of my Jinhaos, except the anomaly of my Fine nib 9019 is smooth and lovely while my medium nib 9019 is taking some time to break in. My 82s are perfection. And I don’t care to be fooling anyone that I have bougie pens, because they know I don’t have that kind of money! lol And none of my friends use fountain pens.
I have 6 Jinhao's at the moment... 4 - x750s that came with nibs and bought a pack of 5 FUDE Jinhao nibs, 'cause I use them mainly for drawing, and I also have 2 Jinhao's 80 with nibs (which I use mainly for drawing but also for writing sometimes) and... they work great for my type of use (great bang for your buck!).
For writing I use other fountain pens on a regular basis (including calligraphy nibs)...
I also bought one of my daughters a Majohn A1 (similar to the Pilot Vanishing point reviewed in this Channel - Orange and metallic colour), to get her used to using FPs and she LOVES it!!!
She us very environmental conscious and I explained to her how much (significantly) of a Good ecological impact Fountain Pens do, specially when using converters because of how long everything lasts in comparison to Every Day Throw Away plastic, non-refillable and reusable writing tools...
Cheers to y'all!!!
😁👍
Non reusable tools I ment to say... sorry for any grammar mistakes but my sausage fingers on such a tiny keyboard on my little (not so) smartphone is always a challenge...
Cheers!
One more thing I forgot to mention... if Jinhao would make Piston filler FPs (that worked as well as their converter ones) at a way cheaper price than their competitors it would be another market changer... (VAC fillers would also be awesome though I understand production costs - for both mechanisms).
Cheers!
I went with the sunset yellow variant. It’s sort of a transparent yellow. Really nice looking pen. Not the best pen I own but I will certainly use it.
I got a Jin Hao 82 after seeing this, and I'm very pleased with it! I use it inked with Baystate Blue that has been diluted 25%. It keeps working without getting clogged, most amazing compared with a couple of Wing Sung 3000 pens, which need to be cleaned after each time they are emptied!
It’s a small pen but I’m a big fan of the Pilot Plumix as a starter pen. It has a gorgeous stub nib that gives your writing an immediate flair. Oddly, the Pluminix is even smaller!
Preppy is a pen i came back after 2 years into the hobby, after gifting my one to a dear friend and it is really an amazing writer, but the jinhao 82 has an incredible build quality and my ones are hosting a pelikan m120 vintage nib and a fude nib it came with. They're truly amazing writers and the opportunity to have a nice durable and cheap pen with a vintage nib is a super feature
Thanks, DB! Agreed, the Jinhao 82 is a very nice pen. As for the x159, I had no interest in its resemblance to a mb149; I wanted
to see what the nib was like. I bought one of the early releases, the black one, and it was ok. Apparently, they tweaked it a bit
and released again in various colors--I got two and have been enjoying them a lot.
Jinhao 80 is also quite nice. Nib EF and 0.3 are both impressive :D
I have had a problem with Jinhao nibs. However, I will seriously consider this pen. Thanks for the review.
I totally agree with you, I had a bit of trouble at first with the 82 before falling in love with this one. It's the best pocket pen, firstly because it's cheap (3.5 - 4€ postage included) and therefore I have no fear of losing it (much more so with a Pilot E95s), it's light, solid and NEVER dries out. The finish is exemplary, especially for the price. Finally, the grip is excellent, very balanced, with a soft, smooth and juicy nib. If you add to that the fact that it comes in an astronomical number of colours that can be reassembled to create a totally custom pen, that makes it the best Jinhao pen just after the 85, just above the 80, X350, X850 and 9056.
Nah the 9056 is better than the 82.
@@MitchellJBridges It's not my opinion, the 9056 can have a tendency to leak (at nib level), its coating (in the case of ebony) is of rather average quality, and you can add to that the fact that it's a very large pen that won't fit all hands (whereas the 82 is much more versatile).
I've bought a few Jinhao pens and every one is great to use. Feel great and solid.
I was recently given one of those Zebra pens and it's astonishingly good.
I've shared a few of these with work colleagues, because I think they're great, so a few have passed through my hands. There are two little flaws I've seen - The first is that the nibs are not consistent enough to recommend to someone who doesn't know how to align and adjust the tightness of the tines. Probably 2/3 of them have required that. The other one is minor, which is that the threads on the top of the cap have been off-centre on a couple. I think it's something that could be corrected if I had a tool to unscrew the inner nut and retighten it. I just got one of their medium nibs and it is phenomenally good, and my daily writer is currently one with an F nib that I stubbed.
I have the exact same jinhao and another in translucent purple so i have both choices of their f and m nib. The plastic feels surprisingly sturdy for pens below rm15 and they write smooth out of the box
Edit: you forgot to mention that you could swap the finials if you have multiple colours. Just a little extra tidbit
Yep, i was hoping he'd mention the customization options but swapping pieces. I've seen tons of really great custom color combos online
After seeing this video I immediately ordered one from Amazon. Unfortunately, I did not see THIS one..and blue is my favorite with translucency too😢but somewhere I will find it and keep it close.thank you for the video👍🏼
I should have ordered a couple pens to show that feature
I'm getting one for my bestie. This is the perfect fountain pen bait 🤣🤣
The Pilot Varsity was my first fountain pen over 30 years ago, and there is always one nearby today. It’s ugly, cheap plastic, but when posted the length is comfortable, it’s refillable and they always write extremely well, smooth and wet. Give one a try.
One of my first pens post the Preppy was the Jinhao 51a. Which I still love to use. But I'm super pleased with the 82's I got recently. They are comfy in my hand, smooth writing and I love the color choices. They've also been less prone to quickly drying out which has been a problem before.
The Pilot Varsity is a great first starter pen. I’ve had over 20 since 1990. They are ugly but they have a smooth nib and great ink flow. Very durable for the bag or backpack. They can refilled with a little effort. Great for gifting too.
Great video. I have a Jinhao 8802 yet to be inked but it is also supposed to be a great writer. A bit more expensive.
The Jinhao you’ve reviewed seems pretty much flawless and puts many expensive pens to shame. I was recommended to try the Dollar 717 fountain pen. It doesn’t have the same level of build quality however writing with it is sheer joy. Mine came with a medium nib it is great fun £3 including postage. These are the sort of pens that we need to have to encourage people to become involved in the fountain pen hobby.
To “penable’ them. Great video. Thank you Doodlebud.
I have a Jinhao 100 and I really like it
i never picked up any of these sailor models because i just dont like the design but i think ill have to grab one of these 82's because this quality under $10 is pretty astounding.
I'd like to see you review a Platinum #3776 with a C nib or a Scribo Feel with a 3B nib, because it's always fun to watch extra fine lovers get confronted with an ink blunderbuss! I don't think you've reviewed either of those pens before either.
If you're already having nightmares reading that, maybe the complete opposite: a Platinum #3776 with a UEF nib. Platinum's "house style' of feedback on their finer gold nibs is a real love-it-or-hate-it deal for most people.
Ink blunderbusses are GREAT for the larger lettering/penmanship needs... whether you "Scribe" for diplomas, parchments, scrolls of various decorative and trophy-like feat's... OR you just like your "memo's" to be READ CLEARLY by your blind-ass coworkers whenever you tape them to the wall or door...
Remember to draw (even) letters from your shoulder... BUT a solid 2x7 proportion with a little flare to the curves can take FULLEST advantage of moving a LOT of ink to the page and maximize the brilliance of even bothering to get "clever ink mixes" and customizing colors, shimmers, or sheens...
Don't get me wrong, when I'm delicately sketching the finest details, I still Love a nib that can easily stab fingers or slide right through the substrate-stock... laser accuracy comes with laser destructive potential and REQUIRES a very delicate touch... BUT it's always up to the artist to master it. AND managing to render several portrait quality sketches without a half bottle of ink vanishing saves both the time AND the effort of re-inking every couple hours...
BUT yeah... there's something truly VISCERAL about an ink BAZOOKA forcing your hand to flow quickly across the page before everything dissolves into a colorful hot mush... ;o)
@@gnarthdarkanen7464 If the co-workers in question still don't respond to a triple broad, try putting Noodler's Rachmaninoff in it. It stinks, it stains and it's brighter than a hydrogen bomb going off in the next town over. I always tape notes to co-workers' desks witten with that ink, and they've never failed to notice one as they walked into their office. It's as if the Eye of Sauron is sitting on their desk, staring into their souls until they can get rid of it.
Love all my Jinhaos -- I think around a dozen? Just gifted a young friend with a Kakuno. Have them in all sizes and enjoy them, too. Platinum Preppy is also great. Thanks for this vid. Ooooh, looking forward to seeing what you got from Appelboom. When someone offers to send you something, it is difficult to figure out how luxurious you want to go.
I finished posting the videos on those pens, 6 in total!
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That short "Doodlebud" at the begging though. Mans getting right to the review!
As a follow up to your request to suggest an Italian pen from Appelboom, I'd like to propose the Gioia Partenope. It's a beautiful pen with a great nib, and it comes in many types of materials. I own the Avorio, and I couldn't be happier. The price is not outrageous, at just under USD 200. Great review of the Jinhao 82, by the way. I'll have to order one!
I'll give that one a look on their site
This will be my starter pen. Then, hand it down and get the grandkids hooked. Thanks for the review.
Great review. This one's been on my radar for a while. Thanks!
They looked good from the pics but wasn't too big into getting one.... Then I saw the sparkles 🤩😆
I have one in a pinkish/salmon colour and was really impressed with the construction of the pen. It feels sturdy, the cap seals well, overall that was great but I had issues getting it to write. I have the fine nib but unlike your experience I had a lot of problems putting down ink and when it did it work it skipped. I would recommend a Platinum Preppy or Pilot Kakuno for a beginner pen. They're a little bit more money but still incredibly affordable and I think beginners would benefit from their consistency. I've had several Kakunos and they've all worked exceptionally.
Kakuno is a fantastic pen. I like them a lot more than the Preppy I find
I'm new to your channel, but enjoying it greatly. Your use of sarcasm and humor is spot on. You've probably already done a video for an Applebloom, but I'd love to see you test the Montblanc Meisterstück 149 (from whichever retailer if Applebloom is already done). Famously, this pen is a favorite of Johnny Depp's (my lifelong celebrity crush 🥰 LoL). I know I'll never be able to spend that much on a pen, at least, not without a severe beating from my family. 😂 I'd like to at least be able to see how well it's made, how it writes, and to see someone else enjoy it. Thanks bunches! ☺️
I will have to grab one (or more) of these. When I was looking for a pen to leave at work, I grabbed a Jinhao 9019. It has no business being as good as it is for $10. Huge converter, #8 nib, has not hard started in 8 months, smooth writer. I have the F nib and it is not scratchy at all. I would say it is between my Lamy Dialog CC F nib and my Sailor 1911 F nib in terms of line width.
Looks like a Sailor Progear Slim . I bought four of these with the imitation gold coloured clip and bands and gave one to my Bridge partner who uses a Progear slim and was impressed
the bands arent "imitation gold," gold plating costs cents and it would take more work to fake it
My $7 Jinhao X450 has seen a ton of use. I have a TWSBI ECO and a Lamy Safari, but I still find myself writing with the X450 ;)
The great thing is also that you can put Kaweco (or probably any other #5) nibs. I have a 1.5mm stub in mine.
I just posted a comment asking if it takes #5 nibs. Glad I scrolled a bit more before leaving. I’ve got a few spare JOWO #5 nibs that may see a new home soon.
I love my Jinhao 80 in all black with a black Lamy fine nib. I would get a Jinhao 82 but I already have a Pilot Prera that I love.
My favorite starter pen in the Pilot Metropolitan, but I really enjoy my Jinhao x750 which works excellently with shimmering inks, and I also have Jinhao's shark pen -- so adorable -- and Jinhao's 51-A with a wooden body with a fine nib. My only, only caveat is that the metal cap doesn't click or screw into place; it just slips on, so it dries out after two days of disuse. But the smoothness of the writing is sooooo amazing!! :D
I love the Jinhao82. For less than $5 (Canadian) I get an excellent pen for my shiny inks. I got all M nibs and they are all linked with Inkvent calendar shiny inks 😃😃
I’ve recommended the Jinhao 51 as a starter pen before, but the hooded nib version can give fountain pen newbies alignment problems. For me, the 82 is a whole different league. Good choice of nibs, reliable converter, great performance and quality for a budget pen, plus it comes in so many different colours it’s fun to buy a bunch and make your own colour combinations. I’d have no qualms about dishing them out as gifts to the pen-curious.
I now have close to 20 Chinese pens with a Majohn 80s full size on the way. I particularly like the Jinhao 80 (all black version) especially after replacing the nibs with a Lamy nib. After seeing this video, I just may have to add an 82 to the collection!!
For olders, something CC to get them used to re-inking. Kaküno, Preppy, Shark, etc. And then something like a more traditional pen such as the Jinhao 82... standard open (not hooded) nib. Gets them prepared for the next step...😊
oh man im so happy my first fountain is this 82! just got it a week ago without seeing any info on them.
what dit it? the amazing color selection they have !!!! and for that price, no brainer!
It's an amazing pen for that price!
where can I get quality nib replacements though?
My gateway pen was the Parker Jotter fountain pen, no outstanding features, but the hand grip & feel will be familiar for those Parker Jotter ballpoint pen aficionados. Build quality great for Canadian winters.
Kakuno, kakuno, and Kakuno once again. That pen is just UNBEATABLE!
Thank you for your amazing and funny reviews. I love Jinhao and have an arsenal of the 159s (I have a MB 146 with a nib like a spade which I HATE but have yet to sell it!). I bought the Asvine 20 and p50 from your reviews and i just LOVE them espcially the p20 with the Greek pattern on the cap band. Thank you again!
Great review. I also have an x159 which feels considerably cheaper than a Kokuno (my current fav cheaper pen especially with that great XF nib). However, I don't love the slim and triangular grip. Can you please find an larger "beginner" pen in that is really well made for us folks that love girthier grip sections and larger overall pens? Bonus points if it has a great XF nib! I would be forever grateful. The 82 does look great if you ask me - just wish it was bigger!
Would love a video on Aurora with a goccia nib. Not many of those around. Thanks!
1. Any particular reason you own no Sailors? I wonder because I recently decided not to buy anything but Pro Gears.
2. I'd love to see your opinion on the King of Pen, especially if you happen to be leary of the brand. It's my unaffordable grail.
3. The
I've just never been a huge fan of the sailor nib feel. The KOP looks great but all that metal inisde all to hold that little converter just makes me shake my head LOL. I am fond of the 1911 models from the 80s. So far my only Sailor experience is the Cross Peerless which has a Sailor nib. Mine was smoothed before I bought it
I picked up a couple of Jinhao 82s recently an have been impressed with them. I'm also quite taken with the Jinhao 80 (the one styled like a Lamy 2000), which is in the same price range and like the 82 writes great and posts really well. (I do remain a fan of the 992, but the 82 is prettier and far less fragile.)
I'm back now that I have a couple of these pens. I consider this a perfect pen at a bargain price. It fulfills my need for XF, F, M, and Fude nibs. The only way it could be better is if it came in Pro Gear full size and, in my dreams, in KoP size. Oh, and in larger nib sizes. The 82 is doing well in the marketplace, so I am clinging to the hope that they go larger some day soon. With bright colors!
Good to hear you're enjoying your 82s. I have this one away to a friend but ordered another almost immediately. Would be great if they did a larger model sometime soon!
My mom Bought a Cheap Fountain pen that ONLY came with the Black Plastic Feed bar and we tried for a month to get it to write... as i did the Internet Sleuth I realized (initially i had thought a Nib went over, But i tried to use my nibs which are strictly Dip N Draw and it didnt work) That i need to get the proper Size nib for the pen. #6 and this video helped tremendously in that regard even though it wasnt touched on at all. Gonna buy some nibs next week from Jinhao.
If one were to only buy sub-$20 pens, they could have a lot of fun with Jinhaos. Even the bad ones would be okay if you had nothing to compare them to. But man, once you rip the blindfold off and get into high-quality writing instruments, it's hard to use the Jinhaos, Hongdians, etc. on a regular basis, although I have had a Hongdian Black Forest inked up for a while now. It's terrific. The Jinhao 86 hooded Parker ripoffs are absolutely great, too, and they run about $2 a pop. I generally buy the cheapos to see how they go and then pass them on to students. This one looks like a Pro Gear Slim knock-off. I've been wondering about the size of the PGS and might get a Jinhao 82 once I check the spec comparisons to see how she feels in the hand. For someone who prefers a Homo Sapiens size pen, it might just be too small.
agree -- the 86 is a steal .. sometimes the 85 is talked about more, but man the 86 is a no brainner, same thing the 911 (currently less than 2€ shipping included because of the AE summer promo)
It's a great pen for the $7 but I'll be sticking to my other pens for sure. I'll give it to my daughter
@@Doodlebud Can't wait to do the same with mine. She's too young atm. I tried and gave her one of those twisted-barrel Pelikan monstrosities not long ago, but she had the nib bent in a couple minutes. 🤦
My suggestions for Appelboom review pen…. Magna Carta Denima Blue ST (very clean looking pen and an interesting material… micarta / denim), Maiora Ogiva Golden Age Fire RT (I know this one is up there in price, but I have considered it and would love to see a review).
I own quite a few PG and PGS pens. Ordered an 82 after watching this vid, mostly because curiosity. It's almost identical in dimensions to the PGS (although, it's missing the thin band on the cap and has a blank finial). Writing with the 82 is okay, but not even close to as nice as the PGS's -- but, it's totally unfair to compare a steel-nibbed pen to a gold-nibbed one that costs an order of magnitude more. As you mentioned, the tolerances on the 82 are shockingly good -- how, HOW! did they manage to make something this cheap this good!? Resin (let's be honest, it's plastic) on the PGS is higher quality, too. But, I must agree that the 82 is a fantastic starter pen, and I'm glad to have one in my increasingly-enormous collection ... even though it'll get less inked-time than the PGS pens.
Minor update: I adjusted the 82 to be a bit wetter (was having some hard starts), and it's writing really rather well.
Thank you for the detailed review. Now, as the threads have an O ring, can we use it as an eye dropper?
You can give it a try if you like. I'm not much into eye dropper pens
Did u try making it an Eyedropper?!
I'd agree, they're a fantastic starter pen, so cheap and write so well. I'm just waiting on them adding a medium nib to the range ( to add to the few I've bought already *ahem*)
My best starter pen is the plastic LAMY Safari with a converter .
My three Jinhao 82’s arrived today, I haven’t inked them yet, but the quality of materials - the feel and weight - compared to a Sailor Pro Gear, there’s no comparison the Sailor feels great and this 82 feels relatively like cheap plastic. I have plenty of other Jinhaos, I like the X450 which think it is a better pen than the 82, and I agree with your other video about the excellent Jinhao 9019 - which unlike the 82 actually feels great in the hand and does not feel like cheap plastic. Also the 82 is about 5mm shorter than the already short Pro Gear, and the Gin Martini lookalike does not have the color depth of the Sailor. You can actually see thru the 82 flat end caps. I realize my comments are pretty superficial given that I have not tested with ink, but experience of build quality is still quite important to me.
From the sub "10$", take a look at the Jinhao 75 "Cesile", the all metal Jinhao 95, and my all time cheapo-favorite, the Jinhao 992.
Yup I picked up a 75 and it was terrible LOL.
@@Doodlebud Mine is a daily driver, as is the 95. Remember the "no pen is bad?" The 75 needed 5 minutes with a polish pad to go from bleh to smooth.😎
@@caseyjp1 the coating on mine came off almost instantly and the nib would dry up so quickly. Good to hear yours is working better
@@Doodlebud Wow. Mine is solid. The cesile finish is just sexy. (No issues with cap dryout on this one either with a great 'click' snap cap.) Chalk it up to QA I guess.
I followed your link in the description for the “same color” pen and ordered one for $1.40 USD, shipped. Crazy. Seems too good to be true but I used a virtual cc number and can spend a dollar to find out.
$1.40! 😯
@@Doodlebud wow, I just got it today. I can’t believe it even showed up for the price. And it’s amazing. A really fantastic writer and better build quality than I expected (just the clip and finial are a bit off axis). Thanks for the recommendation! I already have my eye on another color with a different nib. It actually scratches that ProGear Slim itch without having to justify the limited edition pricing.
When I saw this video in my feed, I immediately said, "That looks like a Sailor knock-off!" The Sailor pen that I think it resembles the most is the Pro Gear Slim Shikiori Japanese Fairy Tale Series' Vega model
Jinhao is learning; they're becoming more and more attractive.
Funny side: when you showed the pens lined up and mentioned the GoodBlue 135, I said, "Wait; I have one of those."
Damn I need more pen holders instead of tomato cans filled with pens. 😂
Btw did you know you. Can not only swap caps if you have say 4 of these,you can also screw off the cap filial nd pull off the barrel end cap. I have 8 now and they are all mixed up.. fun! Yes great pens..
A cheap used Parker Frontier with an M nib was the best cheap pen I've used.
Very pretty 🎉
Superb review!
Starter pen winner has to go to the Platinum Preppy, and I suggest the converter, despite cartridges being more economical at first. Ink bottle refills will pay it back in spades over time.
Dimensions are the same as the standard progear. The progear also posts in the same way. I really enjoy the shape in practice.
When someone asks me for a good starter pen I always base it on how they write, their budget, and what they plan to do with the pen.
Completely unsure if they're gonna like it and don't want to waste money? Varsity or Preppy.
Willing to spend a bit more? Kakuno (for tripod grip) or Metropolitan (for nonstandard grips) -- because the consistency and interchangeability of the lower-end Pilot nibs is fantastic for folks who're still figuring out their preferences.
They wanna try a ton of ink colors? Jinhao Shark because it comes with a converter and takes standard international cartridges so there's ton of easy options.
Need a durable EDC? My recommendation used to be the Safari (the first fountain pen I ever got!) but thanks in part to your videos I've changed that recommendation to the Faber-Castell Hexo. Great pen, and works with more peoples' writing grips.
I really like my X159, and now I think I'm gonna bump the 82 up in my list of pens to try out.
Always enjoy your detailed reviews. Ordered this pen based on your review, wish it was a snap cap rather than the 2 turns required to uncap. My Prera is perfect for quick notes. Mine was pre-inked for some reason, when I flushed it out, blue ink came out. They also send the wrong color, but overall I agree, it's a great pen for the price. Many places charge more for a single converter than this pen with converter.
Thought about buying one of these for work, but I Just bought a Pelikan M200 Brown Marble for 100 bucks for work. I also Use my Moonman A-1 for work and I just bought a Diplomat Excellence A2 in Guilloche Chrome finish. I also have a Diplomat Aero in Stripes finish. Those are my designated work pens so I don't have a need for anymore really I guess haha Good Video Doodlebud! Also some ideas for pens from Appelboom would be a Tibaldi No.60, Tibaldi Bononia, any Gioia ones, Leonardo Furore or Furore Grande, Leonardo Mosaico, Visconti Mythos, Maiora Ogiva (if they have the steel nib version), Maiora Futura. Magna Carta I've been curious about for ages now, and even more because I heard they have no.8 nibs and they are bringing out a new flex nib pen soon as well.
I'm interested in the magna carta as well. I just finished a review of the Leonardo Mosaico, give it a look if you haven't
@@Doodlebud I must of missed it!! Or forgot Sorry Doodlebud!! I'll check it out. I really want a Maiora Ogiva eventually. But the steel nib one. The gold nib version is a piston filler and the steel nib version is a cartridge converter. I have 2 Maiora pens already and like them a lot.
I've just got this exact pen (EF) from Aliexpress after watching this video. Indeed writes great and looks great. The only gripe is that the clip is way too tight, and also the tolerances on the top finial aren't great so the finial and the clip-ring end up a tad askew. For me, the tight clip is sort of a showstoper for taking this out of the house, because it's extremely difficult to slide into any pen-pocket like this.
Thanks for a great video!
im getting a jinhao x450 tommorow and so far my friend has had one for over 4 weeks and hes not exactly gentle and its in tact
I know you've done Pelikan 140 and m800 reviews, I'm curious on your take on the m600. That or an Aurora that doesn't break the bank like the alpha or talentum since everyone knows about the 88
Get multiple colors and make your own version. Even the finials can be switched around!
Thanks for the comprehensive review! How heavy does the Jinhao 82 weigh inked without its cap?
Putting baystate blue in a jinhao, feeling daring are we? You are braver than I, that is for sure.
The 159 is indeed the best pen ever made for the price. And it has nothing to do with whether it looks like the 149 or not which I have as well as the Le Grand 146. They’re extremely expensive cheap plastic. I bought both of them in 2001. I have other very expensive German, Italian and French pens but find the 159 soooooooo good. Another good one is the Asvine P20. Beautiful pen with a buttery nib. I have 3 of them with M nibs.
Excellent review as usual. Seven months later are you still as enthused by the 82, have you run into any major troubles?
Nope its been a great little pen. I actually gave it to someone for their first pen then went and ordered another one to have on hand
@@Doodlebud nice
Jinhaos were some of the first fountain pens I owned, and I've rarely had a bad writing experience with them. The thing is, most of them were 991s and 992s, and they don't exist any more, for reasons that'll be obvious to anyone who knows these pens. 😆 (In fact, I looked at two 992s just today and the finials have broken right off, _in storage.)_
I bought an 82 when I saw it came in olive green, a colour I have trouble resisting. It's been bombing around in the thigh pocket of a pair of work trousers for two or three months, stored upright, and I have almost nothing bad to say about it. Tiny bit of a hard start in the mornings, but a slight press on the nib for a fraction of a second fixes that.
I've heard the finial on this can be fragile too, so I'm keeping an eye on it. Otherwise, two thumbs up.
Other good starter pens? Platinum Preppy, obviously. (I've tried Plaisirs too, but the giant cap band and kind of boring experience put me off) Parker Jotter FPs are reliable and comfortable in my experience. (Don't know why Parker doesn't push them more. For ages I thought uncomfortable Vectors were Parker's only intro FPs) I like Kaweco Sports too, so maybe the Perkeo? I have to get one just to try it.
For youngers.. Pilot Varsity (M) and Pilot V-pen (F). Writes everytime, gets them used to both nib widths, pretty much indestructible, don't have to worry about re-inking accidents, and if it gets lost... oh, well.
I'm surprised that you like the size of the 82!!! I like the pen a lot but it's to small for my hand. Nice review.
Yeah it's small & not my favorite size, but it works very well & it's made great. Great option for a pocket pen too
@@Doodlebud Same as the Jinhao 992, another great reliable inexpensive pen also on the short side fountain pen.
Since you like this one and don't Have one, it seems logical to suggest getting a Sailor Pro Gear Slim, perhaps even do a little comparison?
I'd like your opinion on the 3776 too, especially the soft nibs
Oh, and sweet dreams Doodlebud!